Prebiotics in infant formula could improve learning and memory and alter brain chemistry

Prebiotics in infant formula could improve learning and memory and alter brain chemistry

University of Illinois researchers have investigated the effect of a cow’s milk-based infant formula supplemented with polydextrose (PDX), a synthetic carbohydrate with prebiotic activity, and galactooligosaccharide (GOS), on a piglet population, measuring volatile fatty acids (VFAs) — excreted by bacteria during digestion of these prebiotic fibers, leading them to conclude and extrapolate that prebiotics in infant formula could improve learning and memory as well as alter brain chemistry.